SimCity Social Expands: Build a City on an Island

SimCity Social, the city building Facebook social game by EA and Playfish, frequently adds new content. Sometimes that content is a new feature, a series of quests with a time limit and rare rewards, or a collection of new buildings, often related to a specific theme or holiday. This week, however, marks the most substantial release of content since the game launched.

A small collection of simoleons, materials and common collectibles is all it takes to unlock the Island, a whole new land on which to build another city! The Island is a bit different from the mainland city. Unlocking land expansions requires Island Permits, and the land that unlocks is unusually shaped, rarely being one of the simple rectangles that divided up the original game.

The Island is also recovering from an oil spill. Everywhere you look along the coast there seems to be problems requiring your attention. During a series of new quests, you will have to deal with everything from oil covered animals and beached whales to the oil rig itself, still aflame. The quests usually require some of the new collectibles, and involve many of the new buildings.

Another exciting recent addition to the game is the increase to the maximum population of a housing zone from 660 to 1080. This change greatly increases the maximum population for both maps and encourages new strategies for city planning.

It may not be a true SimCity game, but SimCity Social provides an amusing distraction for those interested in social games and Facebook apps. It was also awarded best web-based game of the year at the 16th annual Dice Awards. A true sequel to the SimCity series will be released for PC on March 5th with the Mac version to follow.